Page 26 - Spring2015

FURTHER CLEANSING METHODS

Other cleansing methods that are popular today range from worthless to harmful for health. These methods include
vigorous exercise and sweating, colon cleansing, coffee enemas, eating more fiber, laxatives, and the liver-gall bladder
cleanse.

SWEATING OUT TOXINS:
Moderate to high intensity exercise done over a sustained period of time is recommended to induce sweating to
get rid of toxins. Advocates think that toxins will be released in the sweat. The truth is that toxins are not released in
sweat. Sweat is composed of water and small amounts of salts, proteins, carbohydrates and urea. The main purpose of
sweating is to lower the core body temperature. Exercise done in this way can lower the ability of the kidneys to excrete
urine thus reducing the amount of toxins excreted. In addition, sustained exercise if overdone lowers the metabolism,
thus lowering the body’s ability to excrete toxins.
Exercise that raises the metabolism would increase detoxification. Such exercise includes weight training and high
intensity interval training. Two to three times per week is enough to obtain benefits.

STARBUCKS ENEMAS:
Flushing water through the colon is promoted as a cure for all kinds of ills. As with most things in health and life,
the proof is in the pudding. If someone finds coffee enemas helpful, I think it is best to employ this on a limited basis for
a short time. In ancient Ayurveda, enemas were given very cautiously. Weak people were not given enemas as it was
thought to drain too much energy or life force from the body. From my clinical experience with thousands of clients,
I feel there is wisdom to this idea.

HIGH FIBER CLEANSE:
Eating more fiber is thought to help stimulate the bowels to increase function. Fiber, especially in the form of whole
grains, creates tears in the bowel that stimulate it to move. Over time, these tears can create high inflammation and
lower the function of the bowels.
The original fiber theories are flawed. I suggest Anthony Colpo’s excellent e-book, Whole Grains, Empty Promises
to learn more about fiber’s sordid history. Whole grain brown rice was never eaten in Asia. Traditional methods to hull
rice in Asia removed much of the fiber from brown rice and other whole grains.
Fiber advocates state that plaque and other material build up in the colon and that fiber removes it. Serious re-
searchers and autopsists have investigated this matter and have not found evidence of mucoid plaque or any other sort
of residue or buildup in the intestines. Consuming fiber in large amounts fills you up before you have eaten enough
calories to fuel the body. This is not good as it lowers all body functions. I mentioned a low metabolism as a conse-
quence of many of the cleansing methods. This is a real issue because many degenerative diseases including cancer
and heart disease have been linked to a low metabolic state. Lastly, fiber can irritate the colon when taken in excessive
amounts.

LIVER-GALL BLADDER CLEANSE:
Lastly, is the liver-gall bladder cleanse. It is still circulating among health seekers despite the fact that it is physi-
ologically impossible, unpleasant to do, and the results don’t hold up to the promises.
This cleanse has many variations. The central feature is drinking large amounts of lemon juice and olive oil. People
swear that the little green balls that are discharged in the stool are gall stones. They are, in fact, saponified, or soapy,
olive oil balls.
The gall bladder is a very small organ. At maximum capacity, it is three inches by 1.5 inches. The amount of green
blobs expelled during this cleanse is more than the gall bladder can hold. Olive oil, not gallstones, as advocates of
the cleanse think, is being discharged. Another claim for this cleanse is that more bile with toxins from the liver is be-
ing produced. The liver cannot produce more bile in response to large amounts of olive oil ingested. Fewer globs are
expelled if the cleanse is repeated. Proponents think that this means you have no more stones. What it really means is
that your body has adapted to you consuming large amounts of olive oil.
The major danger of the liver-gall bladder cleanse is irritation to the colon. Large amounts of olive oil taken at once,
sometimes with a large amount of apple juice, create inflammation in the colon.

24 Wise Traditions SPRING 2015 Wise Traditions

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